Miami
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Passing Miami’s Shoreline on Our Way to Lake Sylvia, Florida

A sunny day on Biscayne Bay for the crew of Kismet as we left Boca Chita. We cruised straight toward Miami, then veering to the east of the towering urban area. Our destination to anchor tonight was Lake Sylvia. After spending a month in the laid-back Florida Keys, Miami's tall buildings stood off in the distance as a stark contrast to our adjusted, and now mellow, attitudes. Our two days on the island provided closure as we prepared to leave the Keys to transition back into city life. We’ve anchored at Lake Sylvia before. It's minutes from Fort Lauderdale where we had reservations…

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Boca Chita Key
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Boca Chita Key – Miami’s Playground!

Within sight of Miami’s towering shoreline sits Boca Chita Key – This breezy manicured isle is the northernmost island in the Florida Keys. Once a mangrove-covered island, it soon became a hot spot for affluent industrialists. Mark Honeywell created the current structures on the island in the early 1900s. Wealthy boaters frequented the boating paradise as a balmy retreat from the fast-growing city life of Miami and Miami Beach. Boca Chita Key, now frequented by day boaters looking for a Bahama-style picnic retreat, can be a busy place. People may come by a small ferryboat, it shuttles people back and forth for…

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Key West
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In the Heart of Key West – Key West Bight Marina

Key West is always a delight to visit. We cruised down, after our month-long visit to Marathon, for a two-night stay at Key West Bight Marina, in the heart of Key West's harbor. Time to get some of our favorite almond paste croissants, visit with friends, take a walk in the morning for exercise, and again at night to see what was going on with the nightlife in Key West. After all that, time to hit our favorite happy hour spots. Our drill the two days we were in Key West Bight. When we left here, we began our slow ascent…

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The Boat Galley
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The Boat Galley – Blogger to Blogger

The Boat Galley Provides Valuable Tips and Tricks for Boaters! – Occasionally you'll come across someone who will inspire you. A few years ago I started to follow The Boat Galley, a popular boating blog created by a talented woman, Carolyn Shearlock, a full-time cruiser. Being a fellow blogger, I can appreciate the valuable content she shares with boaters. The depth of her skills, as a writer and marketer with tech-savvy computer skills, is impressive. Carolyn is a popular force in the boating community. It’s easy to see why—she loves to learn and is eager to share that knowledge with…

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Blackfin Marina
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Finding Our People at Blackfin Marina – Marathon, Florida

Blackfin Marina has a Laid-back, Friendly Atmosphere If you had a doubt about how much fun cruisers enjoy while boating, let’s put that notion to rest. Spending a month at Blackfin Marina and Resort in Marathon (Florida Keys), provides many social activities. Kismet has migrated to this hot spot during winter while escaping the frigid cold of Northern Michigan. We come here to hang out with other boaters who share a love of the Keys. Sometimes we tow our boat south to Marathon and put her in at the public boat launch on the Florida Bay side of the island…

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Everglades
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Skirting the Everglades National Park – On Our Way to the Keys

We Anchored Twice in the Everglades This Trip – Russell Pass and Snake River – We have cruised this stretch of the Everglades several times during our boating adventures. The remoteness of this part of southern Florida appeals to our nature-seeking personalities. Anchoring in remote locations will give a boater an opportunity to experience wildlife in its most secluded habitats. After settling into an anchorage here, we try to put everything aside for a while. We turn the music off, get binoculars out and sit quietly outside in the cockpit as long as we can before the bugs come out at dusk…

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Marco Island Goodland Anchorages
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Marco Island – Goodland Anchorages – Southwest Florida

Leaving the shelter of Florida's well-protected Gulf Coast ICW, we made two stops before we hit the Everglades – Marco Island - Goodland Anchorages. I don't know what it is about transiting this part of Florida. It's pretty thrilling to slowly leave civilization behind, knowing that we are about to head out into the vast expanse of hot and steamy wilderness that is Florida's Everglades. The first stop was Factory Bay – An anchorage Off Marco Island We usually don't have a problem setting the anchor, and not sure if it was the wind whipping us around or the somewhat crowded…

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Lovers Key
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Lovers Key – Party Central During the Day, Quiet and Peaceful at Night

Lovers Key, at New Pass Inlet, South of Fort Myers Beach, is a Wonderful Anchorage Surrounded by Two State Parks – This is a place we “LOVE” to return to. After a brief stay at Salty Sams, in Fort Myers Beach, we followed Matanzas Pass south, past Ostego Bay. We then crossed Big Carlos Pass on our way to this anchorage between Lovers Key State Park and Pelican Landings Beach Park. We anchored in six feet of water, with the Dog Park (part of the Lovers Key State Park) to our north. The beach park was west of us and…

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Roosevelt Channel
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Valentine’s Day in Roosevelt Channel with My Sweetie– Captiva Island, Florida

The first Stop After the Flotilla to Cayo Costa is Roosevelt Channel – One of the fun parts of cruising, and anchoring, is discovering new places to throw the hook. Kismet is beginning the slow process of heading down to the Keys. On this morning, we left Cayo Costa State Park, after anchoring with the flotilla of tugs for two nights in Pelican Bay. Our destination is Roosevelt Channel, off Captiva Island, next to the Buck Key Preserve and Patterson Island Preserve. We were buddy boating on this day with the crew of Liberty, another Ranger Tugs R29S, heading to Roosevelt…

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Cayo Costa State Park
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Post Rendezvous Flotilla to Cayo Costa State Park

Cayo Costa State Park Flotilla Many of the Ranger Tugs / Cutwater boat rendezvous held around the United States include a flotilla to a nearby anchorage after the event. About ten boats departed Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda the morning after the 2018 Southwest Florida Ranger Tugs/Cutwater Boats Rendezvous, in Punta Gorda, forming a Cayo Costa State Park Flotilla, approximately 14 miles from Punta Gorda. Flotillas are always fun! We just had several days to get to know some of the other attendees of the rendezvous and the party actually continued for a few more days with the Cayo Costa State…

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2018 SWFL Rendezvous
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2018 Southwest Florida Ranger Tugs/Cutwater Boats Rendezvous

Do You Own a Ranger Tug or Cutwater Boat? The 2018 Southwest Florida Ranger Tugs/Cutwater Boats Rendezvous was held at Burnt Store Marina this year for the first time. If you own a Ranger Tug or Cutwater Boat, you might be interested in attending one of these owner-driven rendezvous. Always a fun time meeting other tug and Cutwater owners, we all have so much in common. Mike and Jess Rizzo, on Illusions (above), are the event hosts and coordinators of this rendezvous. [huge_it_maps id="5"]   Can you spot Kismet, sitting pretty at Burnt Store Marina? That red hull sure stands…

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Cayo Costa
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Drone Practice at Cayo Costa State Park, Florida

All Serious Boaters in the Gulf Coast Area Know About Cayo Costa State Park – After a month in Fort Myers, Florida, we are finally pushing away from the dock. In the next few days, we will be headed to Punta Gorda for the 2018 Southwest Florida Ranger Tugs / Cutwater Boats Rendezvous. But first, we headed to Cayo Costa State Park, a beautiful barrier island featuring a nice anchorage with room for all. In addition, boaters can dinghy to the dock off the park to hike or take a short shuttle ride to the beach on the Gulf Coast. A…

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Bell Harbor
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Saving the Best for Last… Bell Harbor Marina – Seattle, Washington

PNW Operation Completed at Bell Harbor Marina – Seattle, Washington – Having concluded our mission to first… take possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S, spend a week cruising with our grandson on board, attend a fabulous Ranger Tug Rendezvous in Roche Harbor and explore South Puget Sound. All this along with returning to a few favorites in the sound and the San Juan Islands, we are winding down our end of summer and early fall, cruising time in the Pacific Northwest, with the last stop at Bell Harbor Marina in downtown Seattle, Washington. Without a doubt, we would have…

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Lunch with Huang Family
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Fishermens Terminal – Food and Fun with the Huang Family

Fishermen's Terminal – Not Our Usual Marina Experience! – We had a real treat today, shortly after we arrived and docked at Fishermen's Terminal. Our good friends, Hsu-Yu, his beautiful wife, Yu-Yen, their son, their daughter, and husband, and a few grandkids, picked us up to take us for a real Chinese lunch, family style, at Din Tai Fung – University District, Seattle, WA. We first met the Huang family at a B&B in Seattle when we spent a winter in there in 2006/2007 while waiting for our Fathom 40 to be built. Hsu-Yu and Yu-Yen's daughter, Chien was living…

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Lake Washington
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Going Inland – Lake Union & Lake Washington

Something Old – Lake Union, Something New – Lake Washington –  In our ongoing quest to explore new boating destinations, we scheduled a two-day stop at an anchorage in Lake Washington for our inland lakes diversion trip. We left Puget Sound for a few days before finally ending our Pacific Northwest cruising season with a stay in downtown Seattle. With this in mind we left Puget Sound and entered the Ballard Locks – time to brush up on our locking skills. Then we transited through Fremont Cut for a quick lunch break in Lake Union. Making our way to the…

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Eagle Harbor
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Romance in the Air on Kismet – Eagle Harbor, Bainbridge Island, WA

Eagle Harbor Was the Perfect Backdrop for Celebrating 25 Years of Marriage! – Kismet is still hanging out in Puget Sound, across from Seattle. On this day we specifically choose Eagle Harbor for a romantic anniversary dinner and night swinging on the hook. Ever since our 2016 trip to Desolation Sound and the Broughton Islands, Jim has been promising me a romantic slow dance on the back of our boat. One night, during that trip in 2016, while anchored in Laura Cove (Desolation Sound), we observed a very romantic evening unfolding on a small sailboat off our starboard side. Long, deep…

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Blake Island
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Blake Island Overlooks Seattle, Washington

Blake Island is a Marine State Park in Puget Sound, Southwest of Seattle Before we leave the Pacific Northwest to put an end to our fall boating cruise in the new Ranger Tug, we had to fit in a stop in downtown Seattle. But first, we wanted to linger and enjoy a few of our favorites in Puget Sound – Blake Island and Eagle Harbor. We also wanted to spend a few days in Lake Union and Lake Washington with a short stop at Fishermen's Terminal, on the way to Bell Harbor in Seattle, to visit with friends. Blake Island…

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Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do!

The reality of Life Does Not Stop When You Board a Boat and Take Off for Ports Unknown – The real world will eventually catch up and find us. Such is what happened during our 2017 Puget Sound cruise. My brother, Ken Targal passed away after a long battle with cancer – too soon. We took a time out and flew back to Michigan to be with family for a few days. Ken was a boater, he loved to be on the water as much as Jim and I do. We were raised on summer visits to a family cottage…

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La Conner
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Docking at La Conner, Washington

La Conner – Home to the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (every April) – After leaving the San Juan Islands we made a quick trip back to Anacortes to visit an old friend. Judy met us at the marina for lunch on the boat and a "catch up on our lives" afternoon. We always make sure to connect with Judy when cruising in the Pacific Northwest. To maximize our quick stop, I caught up on several big loads of laundry during our visit. In all our time cruising in the Pacific Northwest, we have never docked at La Conner. We stayed at…

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Stuart Island
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Lover’s Leap with My Lover – Stuart Island, Washington

Stunning Views from Lover's Leap on Stuart Island!  – Just when we think we've seen most of the amazing spots in the San Juan Islands, along comes this stop at Stuart Island. Located in the northern sector of the San Juan Islands, Stuart Island sports two harbors, Prevost and Reid. Prevost Harbor has seven offshore buoys and 256 feet of dock space. Reid Harbor offers fifteen offshore buoys and 572 feet of dock space on three different docks, two of which are offshore. Stuart Island has 18 primitive campsites, and potable water is available most of the year, as are composting…

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Hope Island
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Waiting for Slack Tide Event at Deception Pass? Try Hope Island!

Dropping the Hook at Hope Island – Need a good spot to anchor while waiting to catch slack tide at Deception Pass (Skagit Bay)? Hope Island is our favorite place to throw the hook to do just that. The anchorage, located between La Conner and Whidbey Island on Skagit Bay, is off Hope Island State Park which consists of a 200-acre marine park with four primitive campsites within old-growth forests and saltwater marshes, meadows, and a trail across the island. The island provides boaters with four or five mooring balls. We usually just drop the hook. The island was named…

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Port Madison
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A Gem of an Anchorage – Port Madison, WA

Port Madison is One of Our Favorite Anchorages in the Puget Sound Area! – Still getting to know our new Kismet. Our first get-a-way after we dropped our grandson Silas off with his parents was to return to Port Madison, Washington. Located east of the Olympic Peninsula, at Bainbridge Island, We first visited this anchorage in 2012 soon after we took possession of our then Ranger Tugs R27. So we thought it would be appropriate to make a return visit with the new and improved R29. We are headed north of Puget Sound now, anchoring out as we make our way…

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Ranger Tugs R29S Kismet Orientation
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Ranger Tugs Gives Orientation on Volvo Penta D4-300

Kenny Marrs met us at the boat early in the morning of day two of our orientation. He would be covering the Volvo Penta D4-300 engine operations, Garmin electronics, dinghy deployment and retrieval, and much more. We’ve known Kenny from the beginning of our Ranger Tugs association, a nicer young man than you will ever meet. We have seen Kenny in action, his dedication to his customers' needs is intuitive and honest. Thanks again, Kenny!

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Bruno Mars
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Bruno Mars – A Planned Detour before Heading West

We spent part of three days with my brother, Ken. Heading West Again to Pick Up a New Ranger Tug Trailerable Trawler –  Once again we were on our way across the country, west to Des Moines, Washington. This is where we would take possession of our new Ranger Tug R29S. We’ve done this jaunt many times before, starting with a trip to Seattle to take delivery of a Fathom 40 trawler in 2007. We spent the winter there watching it be built before we cruised some in Puget Sound – then we had it trucked back to the Great…

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